Crime Stoppers of Northeast Mississippi celebrates 25 Years

CHICKASAW COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Crime Stoppers is a world-wide organization, with several chapters in Mississippi.

For the past 25 years, Crime Stoppers of Northeast Mississippi has helped solve cases across 10 counties.

Chickasaw County is a part of the chapter.

The sheriff says Crime Stoppers is like a three legged stool.

It takes media, law enforcement and the public to make it stand and those three legs are the keys to the group’s success.

For the last 25 years, thousands of calls and tips have been ringing into Crime Stoppers of Northeast Mississippi.

And as years have passed, the organization has had to keep up with the times.

“Everything was handled by phone, but now, you know, you can go on the internet. Crime Stoppers has a Facebook page. Several schools now, are getting Crime Stoppers programs in their high schools.”

There have been more than 5,000 tips reported to the northeast Mississippi chapter since it started.

609 of those have led to arrests, including in Chickasaw County.

With advances in technology, law enforcement is able to reach more people and gather more tips by posting surveillance videos like these.

“It has solved a lot of cases. I recently worked on a case not too long ago, I got an anonymous tip and it led to an arrest,” says Houston Police Department Investigator Aleicia Jennings.

The northeast chapter has over 30 board members, who represent the counties covered by the organization.

It’s their job to go through all of the tips that come from the public.

“On the tip line, when somebody calls in, if it’s a tip that needs to go to Pontotoc, Chickasaw, or Lee County, or Monroe, you know, they contact that agency, and see if they’re working this certain crime, and if that tip does lead to an arrest, you know, then they are subject to a reward.”

Over $100,000 has been awarded over the years for tips that led to arrests.

Chickasaw County Sheriff James Meyers says the chapter’s record speaks for itself about how people are still using Crime Stoppers and really do remain anonymous.

“Anybody that has made a tip, you know, they can tell them that it is strictly anonymous the way that everything works. I mean, they’re assigned a number when they call it in and if a payment does goes out, the way that’s taken care of is through the Crime Stoppers Board and the person who makes the tip, it is strictly anonymous.”